Xaviera Hollander

Xaviera Hollander was a writer.

She was born in a place called Indonesia. Her family moved to the Netherlands later. She lived in New York for a time. She also lived in South Africa.

She had many different jobs. She worked as a secretary. Later, she ran her own business. She wrote a very famous book.

She wrote many books about her life. She also wrote a column for a magazine. She even made a board game.

Now, she lives in Amsterdam. It is interesting to learn about her life.

Xaviera Hollander is a Dutch writer. She was born in 1943. Her family lived in a camp in Indonesia. Later, they moved to the Netherlands. She lived in many places, like South Africa and New York City.

In New York, she had a famous career. She worked as a secretary first. Then, she became a call girl. She also ran her own business. In 1971, the police arrested her. She had to leave the United States.

Hollander is well known for her books. Her first book was a memoir. A memoir is a story about one's own life. It was called "The Happy Hooker." She also wrote an advice column for a magazine. She even made a board game in 1974.

She lived in Toronto for a few years. She married a man named Frank Applebaum there. She also had a long partner named John Drummond. Later, she moved back to Amsterdam. In 2005, she ran a bed-and-breakfast in her home. She has appeared in many films about her life.

Xaviera Hollander is a famous Dutch writer and former madam. She was born Xaviera de Vries on June 15, 1943. Her early life was very difficult. She was born in Surabaya in the Dutch East Indies. This place is now part of Indonesia. During her early years, her family lived in a camp run by the Japanese. After the war ended, her family moved back to the Netherlands. Later, she lived in South Africa and New York City.

In New York, Hollander started a new kind of career. She first worked as a secretary at the Dutch consulate. In 1968, she left that job to become a call girl. She earned a lot of money for her work. Soon, she opened her own business called the Vertical Whorehouse. She became a leading madam in New York City. However, things changed in 1971. The New York Police arrested her for prostitution. This meant she had to leave the United States.

Hollander became a very successful author after leaving America. Her first book was a memoir called "The Happy Hooker: My Own Story." A memoir is a book about a person's own life. Robin Moore helped by taking her dictation. Yvonne Dunleavy was the ghostwriter for the book. Hollander also wrote a second book called "Child No More." This book told the story of losing her mother. She also wrote an advice column for many years. It was called "Call Me Madam" in Penthouse magazine.

She did many other interesting things too. In 1974, she released a board game called "Xaviera's Game." She even recorded a spoken-word album named "Xaviera!" in the early 1970s. This album included a song called "Michelle" by the Beatles. In 1975, she starred in a film called "My Pleasure Is My Business." She lived in Toronto for several years in the 1970s. There, she married an antique dealer named Frank Applebaum. She also had a long partner named John Drummond.

Today, many people know her through film and television. Her life has been shown in five different films. One documentary about her is called "The Happy Hooker: Portrait of a Sexual Revolutionary." In 1989, she appeared on a British show called "After Dark." She eventually moved back to her home in Amsterdam. In 2005, she opened a bed-and-breakfast there. It was called "Xaviera's Happy House." She has lived a life filled with many different roles and places.

Xaviera Hollander is a Dutch author and former madam who became a well-known public figure. She was born Xaviera de Vries on June 15, 1943. Her life has involved many different roles, from a secretary to a successful writer. She is most famous for her memoir, "The Happy Hooker: My Own Story." This book helped make her a household name in the 1970s. Her career has spanned books, films, and even a bed-and-breakfast.

Hollander's early years were shaped by significant historical events. She was born in Surabaya, which was then part of the Japanese-occupied Dutch East Indies. This location is known today as part of Indonesia. Because of the war, she spent her first years living in a Japanese-run internment camp. After the Japanese occupation ended, her family moved back to the Netherlands. This period of her life was marked by the instability of the Second World War.

As a young adult, Hollander lived in several different countries. She moved from Amsterdam to Johannesburg, South Africa, to be near her stepsister. In South Africa, she became engaged to an American economist named John Weber. After their engagement ended, she traveled to New York City. In New York, she initially worked as a secretary for the Dutch consulate. However, she resigned from that position in 1968 to enter a different profession.

In New York, Hollander entered the sex industry as a call girl. She reportedly earned up to $1,000 in a single night. Soon after, she transitioned from working alone to running a business. She opened a brothel named the Vertical Whorehouse. Through this business, she became a leading madam in New York City. This career path eventually led to legal trouble. In 1971, the New York Police arrested her for prostitution. This arrest resulted in her being forced to leave the United States.

Despite leaving America, Hollander found great success as a writer. Her first major work, "The Happy Hooker: My Own Story," was published in 1971. The book was created through a specific process. Robin Moore took Hollander's dictation to record the contents. Yvonne Dunleavy served as the ghostwriter, which means she wrote the actual text based on those words. Hollander also wrote "Child No More," a book about the loss of her mother. For 35 years, she also wrote an advice column titled "Call Me Madam" for Penthouse magazine.

Hollander's influence extended into many forms of media and entertainment. In the early 1970s, she released a spoken-word album titled "Xaviera!" on the GRT Records label. This album featured her discussing her philosophy on sex and prostitution. She also sang a cover of the Beatles song "Michelle" on the record. In 1974, a company called Reiss Games, Inc. released an erotic board game called "Xaviera's Game." She also starred in the 1975 semi-autobiographical film "My Pleasure Is My Business."

Her personal life included several significant relationships and changes. During the 1970s, she lived in Toronto and married an antique dealer named Frank Applebaum. She also had a long-term partner named John Drummond, a Scottish intellectual. While she once called him the love of her life, she later shared in an interview that he could be destructive toward her. Around 1997, Hollander stated that she had "turned gay" and began a relationship with a Dutch poet named Dia. In 2007, she married a Dutch man named Philip de Haan in Amsterdam.

Today, Hollander's life continues to be a subject of interest in various media. She has been depicted in five different films, including the 2008 documentary "The Happy Hooker: Portrait of a Sexual Revolutionary." She also appeared on the British discussion program "After Dark" in 1989. In 2005, she began a new chapter by operating a bed-and-breakfast. This business, called "Xaviera's Happy House," was located in her own home in Amsterdam. Her life remains a complex example of how one person can navigate many different social and professional worlds.